Personally, I like to use the compliment sandwich method, so I will start with some good, move to what could be better, and end with more of what worked.
For how quick of a developmental process this movie went through compared the last two Jurassic World films, Rebirth is in a way superior, at least over Dominion, Fallen Kingdom may be better overall but it also had at least double the production time. Though some elements of Fallen Kingdom that missed the mark make it a notch below Rebirth in my opinion. Such as Maisie being a clone; or Benjamin Lockwood being a major part of Jurassic Park’s development, but never being mentioned prior to the film. Worst of all, in my opinion the Indoraptor’s hide being so strong to block gunfire from short range and then expelling the bullets back out of its body.
One of the main aspects that I enjoyed was that the plot was pretty straightforward and simple. There wasn’t a lot of crazy subplots or abandoned threads, or political virtue signaling of any leaning. The movie did quite well at making the tense scenes keep you on the edge of your seat. All of the actresses / actors performances were spot on. None of the characters felt unbelievable to me, or forced. Scene pacing was adequate, but could have been better. No long stretches with no action, yet not non-stop action.
Two of the most irritating aspects of the film where: the lack of utilization of the dinosaurs and the predictability of the story. Many of the dinosaurs, even the featured ones, have little screen time split over one maybe two scenes. Some non-featured, but classic species, are used to prop up the new entries / hybrids. While others are “teased” but never fully shown, used solely for jump scares. Within the main cast I was able to determine who I thought was going to survive and who wasn’t. Only one character was I split on which way it could go. It doesn’t make the movie bad, but it takes a bit away from the suspense when each character gets picked off. Similarly, the main antagonist easy to determine and follows a formulaic approach. Acted well, but written obviously.
Some of the other misses for me where: the reason that the D-Rex escapes in the introductory scene, the ease with which characters are convinced to join the “mission”, design / lack of clarity in what splices are in the hybrids, less practical effects, and the lack of a strong antagonist throughout the film. Without spoiling what takes place, the way the D-Rex escapes was lackluster. From speaking with others about the film and “easter eggs,” I recognize that it was a nod / critique. Even still I was not fond of that aspect. One of the main things I disliked in JP 3 was how easily Dr. Grant was convinced to go to the island. Earlier in the film he says “No force on earth or heaven could get me on that island.” Then the Kirbys offer him a large sum of money and suddenly he, while reluctantly, accepts. Both characters that are show being convinced to join the expedition are similar. “I’m not going for reason ‘xyz’,” “Well I have ‘xyz’ to offer,” “Fine I guess I’ll go.” With regard to the hybrids, none of the movies have given a full breakdown of what all is spliced into any of the dinosaurs, just what is important to the plot. That being said, the D-Rex especially I felt like needed more of a itemization of what comprises its DNA. With the director stating that the Rancor and Xenomorphs inspired his design of the D-Rex, it is important to the “realism” of Jurassic Park / World that the DNA is spliced with known creatures not from a fictional universe. Making freakshow monsters like the Indominous Rex or Indoraptor is one thing; but having a creature inspired by fully fictional entities makes the movie less about real world impacts of biogenetics and a purely a si-fi film with no grounding in reality. Good practical effects make or break a movie, for me at least. CGI is a nice tool to add on top of the practical effects, but I don’t enjoy the total use of CG. Especially in a Jurassic film, being that Jurassic Park was one of the forerunners of mixing CG and practical effects. On such a quick turnaround it makes sense that they relied more on CGI, but again I prefer at least some practical applications. Last, while I like all three of the original Jurassic Park films, many complain that there is a lack of any human antagonist in JP3. While Rebirth has a human antagonist, they are a weak motivator to the film and don’t impact the film in any major capacity to me. Making it feel like the animals were the antagonist, which again is one of the major critiques of JP3. So, it reminded me kind of like a cross between JP2 and JP3.
My favorite part of the film were the big sequences and usage of old concepts that had never been developed previously. Out of all of the life and death situations, the raft scene was by far my favorite. It mirrored the elements of the rafting incident in the original novel. Not an exact recreation, but it had the same level of tension. For as long as I can remember other fans of the series have been disappointed that this component of the novel had never been brought to screen. Seeing so many unused plot points brought together to make a successful film is exciting to see, and brings hope for the future of the Jurassic franchise.
Overall, I enjoyed the film. Thankfully, there were no eye roll moments like in Dominion. Even thought it was not the best Jurassic movie it was not the worst either. Likely, to be in my top 3 or 4 of the series. Time well tell on where it officially lands for me, but initially it is up there.
My Rating: 7.5 / 10
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